Daz Does Tri

... and finally getting over my hip & calf issues. The Bad Had to sack off last nights track session (4 x km) because plantar fascia kicked off on the first rep.  Admittedly I wore spikes, as soon as I started it ached.  200m - 400m in I could feel it worsening so I tried to wiggle my toes during the run.  The ache was pretty annoying but definitely  moving towards pain by 800m and then by the finish I was wondering to give the next rep a crack. With thoughts of the hip in my mind I just pulled the plug. It's very frustrating because these track sessions in spikes are key to getting in race shape for this coming season. Cooled down - cut it short because I was fucked off - and went home.  Found yet another stretching routine to do daily to try and help. The So-so Nike Infinity Run Flynit React (they love a long title) - arrived Sunday.  Got first chance to wear them today.  3 miles easy where the pace was pretty good and warm up /...

Just back from the family holiday for the half term break to Dubai.  Nice to get some sun on board, however training wise it was hard work getting out pre-breakfast as UK time I was heading out by 3.30 am most mornings. Finished up running 27.5 miles out there from Sunday - Sunday.  Not too bad as it was a holiday after all and just enough to burn off the food! Pace wise every run was pretty progressive.  Starting at 8/mm and finishing sub 7's.  Felt OK once I got going but wow, first mile or so felt horrible! Happy enough with that.  Jacob did all but one run (cut back week before he prepares for English Schools XC) and Sawyer did a run with Ange and a session with us (rest week as he's targeting track season next). Managed to get a session in of 8 x ~200m on the marina with the boys which was cool. Lucked out with the weather, as it was close to 30 every day.  Got a decent tan but now we are home the serious business of getting fit starts! Thi...

The focus of today's blog is ankle flexibility.  Thinking a lot abut my #breaking10 project today and I have realised that with running I can put in lots of different types of sessions to stimulate the fitness I need, but with regards to technique - and indeed ability to just be able to get over barriers - I need to start at a much, much more basic level. My ankles have actually been a huge limiting factor in old age.  My perpetually tight (and often torn) calf muscles, shin splints, achillies issues (several) and the weird upper shin issue that we couldn't diagnose have all been a cause from lack of ankle mobility. I believe at the minute that strengthening is pointless if you aren't getting full power from the legs anyway. Steeplechase is about being able to hurdle barriers as efficiently as possible.  10 mins for 3k I can handle, I'm not a million miles off that right now.  The chase is about loosing as little rhythm as possible, keeping the pace consist...

Man, I LOVE these spikes.  1 session in, and the session was very average but they are exactly what I needed. So a recap.  Spikes fucking ruin my calfs.  They have caused me no end of problems for years - since I started running again. So much so that I pretty much resigned to track racing in flats last year, only rolling out the Rival D's for a solitary 800m & 1500m. I purchsed a pair of Zoom Victory XC - mainly because I was planning  afew XC races but mainly hoping the heel padding would help train on track. It did not.  A session and a couple of 200's in and they were really savaging the old calf muscles. I happened upon the Zoom streaks after looking at the new Alpha Fly Victory ones.  These esentially are racing flats with a spike plate.  The zoom cushioning is immense and it has a good distribution from heel to toe and through the midsole. Tonight session was 4 x km.  I would not dream of doing that in spikes generally but th...

Last couple of weeks I have not been 100% healthy.  It's an interesting one because it's hard to know when it's worth stopping - because running would cause more damage, or carrying on - because I'm just being a fanny*. Annoyingly for the last 5 or 6 days it's really just been a slightly irritable itch on the back of my throat that seems 1,000 x worse come bed time when I have the odd coughing fit.  I feel a little under the weather but nothing worth calling the doctor out for. Run wise, the paces have been bang on.  In fact I keep thinking if I'm running these paces at 80% what will I be running when I am full steam.  Answer - probably no different! I've had maybe 2 days (edit: 3 days now) where I have had to pull the plug and not run at all because I felt bad, but on the whole I can't really complain about training time or paces.  It's very strange! When I am ill, I pretty much eat any old shit I want.  I see it as a pay off from hard t...

Nike Vaporfly 4% Alpha Next % Zoom Ultra Flymesh Fly - or whatever the latest name is for them is causing masses of hysteria in the running community in the last few weeks. It's an interesting debate going on. So on the left you have the shoe remainers who consider themselves purists and believe the shoes give an unfair advantage. There are some misinformed that believe the shoes actually give back more energy than you put in - but you can't be expected to deal with stupidity. On the right - you have the Nextiteers - see what I did there ;) Upfront - I am in this camp. We consider the technology a good thing for the sport. So regardless of the moral arguments, I'll give my own review of the shoes. The shoes WORK Yes, they are better for running fast over longer distances than any other shoe on the market. I believe that one of the reasons everyone is running quicker than before is down to the shoes. The shoes are doing what running shoes should do - they...

Setting targets and goals is the only real way to motivate yourself enough to break out. I've blogged for years and years about the same old shit, but I've always had 2 sets of goals - one set that I'm happy to declare and a second set that in my head I really want to achieve. So it's about time to start putting the big goals out there.  I honestly only wanted to get myself back into 'competitive' shape last year - i.e. for a fat 44 year old bloke I was really happy to break 17 mins for 5km.  I think sub 17 is the kind of standard that gets you a bit of credit at club level, but isn't going to start worrying the guys who are winning local races. So this year my focus is really going to be track, and steeplechase specifically.  If I'm running well there, I'll be worrying the winning guys locally on the roads! I really want to break 10 mins for 3k 'chase - 9.58 would be good enough for top 10 all time V45.  Then I think 4.25 over 1500m ...